Elite Hacker Barnaby Jack Dies

A prominent hacker who discovered a way to have ATMs spit out cash and was set to deliver a talk about hacking pacemakers and other wireless implantable medical devices has died in San Francisco, authorities and his employer said.

He had been due to give a presentation into medical device vulnerabilities at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas taking place next week.

Mr Jack became one of the most famous hackers on the planet after a 2010 demonstration in which he hacked a cashpoint, making it give out money. The technique was dubbed "Jackpotting".

Barnaby Jack died at his home in San Francisco Thursday, although the cause of death is still under investigation, San Francisco Deputy Coroner Kris Barbrich said.

Jack, who was in his mid-30s, was scheduled to speak on Aug. 1 at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. The headline of his talk was, “Implantable Medical Devices: Hacking Humans,” according to a synopsis on the Black Hat conference website.
Jack planned to reveal software that uses a common transmitter to scan for and “interrogate” individual medical implants, the website said.

The topic is reminiscent of the second season of the TV drama “Homeland,” when terrorists kill the vice president by hacking into his heart device. Jack planned to discuss ways manufacturers could improve the security of the devices.

"I decided to look at pacemakers and ICDs (implantable cardioverter defibrillators) to see if they communicated securely and if it would be possible for an attacker to remotely control these devices," he said. After about six months, he found a vulnerability and was able to control the device.

"Lost but never forgotten our beloved pirate, Barnaby Jack has passed," IO said on Twitter. "He was a master hacker and dear friend. Here's to you Barnes!"